Sunday, May 29, 2005

"Y'all must be good people....

to have good luck following you." What a wonderful compliment from someone we met only moments earlier. We rode from Savannah to Ridgeland, SC today, beautiful scenery, an overcast day, the only down sides were the b%$#$^&^ headwinds and no bathroom opportunity except one. Thankfully, there was one.

We stopped at 15 miles at a "truck plaza" (so that is what they are called). We had a bite to eat and a bathroom break and we got a good tip on a short cut to Ridgeland with assurance it would be an easy ride and low traffic, and we took it, and it was both. What would have been 37 miles ended up being 31.5 (we will gladly take those 5.5 miles, thank you). We reached the Comfort Inn in Ridgeland a little before 12 and while Peter was checking in, an extended family that was heading home to Delaware from a family reunion was checking out. Some of the family members were outside where I was hanging with the bikes and Adraine Frink asked me where I was headed. We struck up a conversation and other members of her family joined in. When Peter came out, he and I were talking to 7 or 8 of the ladies and having a high old time talking about the trip and where were headed, how long we have been on the road, and in the end, we had invites to stay with them when we are headed up their way, which is Dover, Delaware and Wilmington, Delaware. How absolutely awesome is that? Everyone was so enthusiastic and charming, way cool. We got a bunch of hugs and well wishes, and addresses for when we hit their area on our way north. That is what it is all about, meeting people and becoming instant community. Well, there is more to this trip, as you all know by now, but this is an important part of it, having people enter our lives that we would never have met, making instant friends, having our lives impacted positively and getting support from so many great people who want to see us make it.

We are running into breakdowns trying to get our laundry done, but we are working through them. I am off to move the first load from the washer to the dryer.